Sutton is sitting at the table with Mom and the kids.
He claps me on the shoulder. “Let’s go outside.”
I nod and follow him outside. Sutton is talking with our moms. Troy is telling Lydia about his dreams.
It’s the happy voices of my family that are the balm I need right now.
“There’s no worse call you’ll ever get in your life.” I stare into the darkness of my coffee. I don’t know if I can ever get rid of that panic that I felt when I got that call.
“Did you know you and your mom were in a car accident when you were three?”
“We were?” I ask.
He nods. “You were okay, but it was the worst call I’ve ever gotten because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“I never knew that.”
Dad moves to stand beside me. The two of us are staring out into the back yard. Troy’s toys are all over the place.
“You never know what’s going to happen. That’s life.”
“What if…” I turn my back to him, letting the warm air flood my veins. “What if Missy gets custody of him? I can’t lose him.”
“Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow, son.”
“I’m doing a pretty damn good job of it.”
He bumps my shoulder. “You’ll always worry as a parent. But worry about the things you can control. Like Troy being a good person.”
I smile. “I think I have that one covered.”
“See? One less thing to worry about. Now, you know what you need?”
“What’s that?”
“You need a donut.”
“Sugar can’t fix everything, Dad.” I laugh.
“Says who?” He shrugs a shoulder. “Whenever I wanted to talk to you in high school, I could always bribe you with ice cream.”
“Damn. I was a sucker.”
“See? It worked then. Let’s go see if it still works now.”
Before he goes back inside, I stop him and pull him in for a hug. “Thanks for being here, Dad.”
“I love you, Derek, and we’re always here for you. No matter what.”
By the time the two of us go back inside, it’s chaos. Troy and Lydia are playing a game of hockey. Tiny, foam pucks are flying. I’m not sure who is winning because they both keep firing at the goals.
Sutton smiles at me from her spot across the kitchen. Looking around, I know there’s a fight ahead. But as long as I have all of these people in my life, I know things will be okay.
Chapter Thirty
DEREK
“Thanks for being here today,” I tell Sutton.
